Marvin Chase, a former volunteer LaFayette firefighter charged with arsonA former firefighter who was once called a serial arsonist and accused of lighting dozens of fires two years ago won’t have to serve time in a Georgia prison.
Marvin Chase pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree arson and one count of second-degree arson earlier this week and was sentenced to 15 to 18 months at a minimum-security detention center.
Chase’s attorney, David S. West, said the sentencing was a victory because Chase didn’t go to prison. The sentence also shows that the former LaFayette, Ga., firefighter wasn’t responsible for 20 to 30 arsons that were originally pinned on him, West said.
“The case was never what [authorities] were making it out to be,” West said.
But police say they still believe Chase set dozens of fires at abandoned houses during the five years he was a firefighter, but they couldn’t prove all the cases.